Carefully considered products all have a sweet spot, that central nexus where everything comes together for a strong hit into the outfield—and for particularly astute product-development teams, the occasional home run.
While myriad types of corn and flour tortillas continue to dominate sales, the tortilla market has changed over the years to accommodate varying consumer preferences, with gluten-free, grain-free, veggie and flavored options gaining favor. Such innovation will continue to diversify the tortilla industry moving forward.
They’re wedding cake stand-ins, they’re topped with everything from sweet breakfast cereal to bacon, and they’re popping right off the breakfast plate and onto restaurant menus nationwide. It’s safe to say designer doughnuts are having a moment.
When thinking of a traditional snack cake, the classic Hostess CupCake may come to mind. However, while the classics endure, snack cakes have evolved a long way since the 1919 birth of the product. Modern-day snack cakes aren’t necessarily as indulgent as their predecessors, but at the same time, they manage to not sacrifice taste, either.
While select brands showed stronger-than-average performances over the past year, the overall frozen pizza category—including frozen pizzas and frozen pizza crusts/dough—has leveled off in sales.
If there’s one place consumers are willing to indulge in something decadent, it might be at their favorite restaurant. And when it comes to the end of the meal and the prized desserts that await, research from Datassential, Chicago, shows that consumers are still choosing sweets.
When you think about cookies, you might think of them as an indulgence or something high in calories—a treat, to only be eaten on days when you’re not watching your weight. However, in the past year, more better-for-you cookies are hitting the shelves, and there is a wide range of options for consumers.
The buns and rolls segment showed pockets of growth, with a mix of gains and losses across the board. While traditional products still maintain the lion’s share of the buns and rolls category, growth in gluten-free, organic and healthy options are starting to pick up.
The frozen breakfast food category, including waffles, pancakes and French toast, has seen relatively flat growth overall during the past year—but with pockets of positive sales data pointing toward new opportunities.
Bread is the largest category in the baking industry, and as such, faces continual challenges related to incremental growth. While legacy brands continue to perform well, the fresh bread, bagel and English muffin categories remained largely flat to slightly down over the past year.